Thanks to the adoption of more economical battery technology, Renault will lower prices for its future city car. Should we expect any concessions on the performance side?
The electric Renault R5 E-Tech, revealed in February, is expected to be released in fall 2024. While the manufacturer unveiled a Roland Garros version barely a week ago, The echoes has just taken stock of Renault’s next directions in terms of battery supply. The manufacturer will turn to LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) batteries for the design of its city car (as had been suggested in the past), a strategy which should logically keep the price of the small R5 similar to that of we were told.
Affordable, but less efficient?
According to information published by The echoes, Renault has formalized several new partnerships to supply LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) batteries. This strategic choice marks a turning point for the diamond brand, which until now favored NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) technology for its electric vehicles, focusing on autonomy as its main selling point.
The adoption of LFP, less expensive to produce than NMC, is necessarily part of a logic of reducing production costs for Renault. The choice of LFP battery suppliers seems to be moving towards Korean companies, instead of Renault’s historic partner, AESC Envision (Sino-Japanese company), which declined the LFP production offer at its Douai factory. .
The LFP in the spotlight to the detriment of the consumer?
This choice could make it possible to market a basic version for less than 25,000 euros (price announced for the entry-level version equipped with a 40 kWh NMC battery offering 300 km of autonomy), or even around 20,000 euros. . Necessarily, however, the choice of the LFP will be accompanied by a compromise on autonomy.
These batteries offer less energy storage capacity than NMC. Indeed, iron phosphate (LiFePO₄), used as a cathode material, is more stable, less reactive, but it does not contain as many lithium ions per unit mass as other commonly used cathode materials such as NMC. On the other hand, it is less subject to degradation over time.
This choice therefore places Renault alongside BYD, the Chinese market leader, Volkswagen for its entry-level models and the Stellantis group, which have already opted for this technology.
Source : Clean Automotive
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